- Kuro5hin
Kuro5hin (K5) (pronounced "
corrosion ", i.e. IPAEng|kəˈroʊʒəncite web
last = Boutin
first = Paul
title = It Takes a Village to Save a Site
publisher = Wired
date =2002-06-21
url = http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2002/06/53386
accessdate = 2007-06-13 ] ) is a collaborative discussion website. Articles are created and submitted by Kuro5hin's users and submitted to queue for evaluation. Site members can vote for or against publishing an article and, once the article has reached a certain number of votes, it is then published to the site or deleted from the queue.Citation
last = Murphy
first = David
title = Google's ad network spreads the wealth: here's how Google's AdSense program can make money for your Web site. (INTERNET BUSINESS).
magazine =PC Magazine
volume = 24
issue = 16
pages = 74
year = 2005
date=2005-09-20
url = ] The site has been described as "a free-for-all of news and opinion written by readers". [Citation
last = Brandt
first = Andrew
title = Kuro5hin. (Internet/Web/Online Service Information) (Brief Article).
magazine = PC World
volume = 19
issue = 8
pages = 96
year = 2001
date=2001-08
url = ]Kuro5hin is powered by the Scoop collaborative system. Its motto is "Technology and Culture, from the Trenches". It was founded by
Rusty Foster in December 1999. Kuro5hin's membership numbers in the tens of thousands, but its popularity has declined significantly from its peak in the early 2000s, and the present number of active users is much less (likely in the low hundreds).fact|date=February 2008Overview
All content is generated and selected by the users themselves with the exception of site news, that are written by the site administrators. Registered users can submit stories to the "submissions queue". In the queue, users vote +1 FP ("front page"), +1, 0, or -1. If the story reaches a predetermined threshold score (originally at +95 and lowered from +70 to +40 in December 2006 due to the site's waning popularity), it is posted to the front page or to the relevant section depending on the proportion of FP votes. If it fails to make the threshold, other factors (such as number of comments and their ratings) can still cause the story to be posted to section. Otherwise, it is dropped. [cite web|url=http://scoop.kuro5hin.org/guide/4_1_Story_Selection.html|title=Scoop Story Selection|publisher=Kuro5hin|accessdate=2006-11-04|last=janra|date=
2005-02-27 ]One feature of the story queue is "edit mode", in which a story is protected from voting for a period of time and the author can make changes. Comments can still be made on the story to suggest changes before voting begins. They are distinguished as being "editorial" or "topical" comments.
A further section is known as the "diaries". They have no editing or moderation vetting and are essentially weblogs. [cite web|url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2000/11/13/5344/4074|title=Diaries, at last!|publisher=Kuro5hin|accessdate=2006-12-31|last=rusty|date=
2000-11-13 ] They are the source of most of Kuro5hin's content by volume, though unlike the edited article sections, they are not widely syndicated.Kuro5hin site administrators have on several occasions revealed the full name of a user, and are known to publish complaints and comments emailed by readers, usually to publicly ridicule and insult them. [cite web
last=rusty
url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/8/13/16425/4075
title=Kaycee Nilson: Whiner
accessdate=2006-12-16
date=2005-08-13 ] [cite web
last=rusty
publisher=Kuro5hin
date=2005-11-12
accessdate=2006-11-04
title=Jason Pawloski: Probably not the kind of person you want to hire.
url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/9/12/224228/196] [cite web
last=Kuro5hin administrators
url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/user/Letters%20to%20Help%40K5/diary
title=Letters to Help@K5
accessdate=2006-11-04
date=2005-09-12 ] [cite web
last=UNITED
url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/7/8/141115/2706
title=Chopped into timy pieces: the "Fuck Natalee Holloway" hate mail
accessdate=2006-11-04
date=2005-07-08 ]History
Rusty Foster named Kuro5hin — which is, as noted, pronounced "corrosion" — as apun on his first name. The number 5 was inspired by a character calledDa5id inNeal Stephenson 's 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash ". Dylan Griffiths (Inoshiro) was second-in-command as site administrator for a time.The community also holds a (now dormant)
wiki for Kuro5hin related material called "Ko4ting" (pronounced "coating" or "cavorting"). It houses information about the community, including a Greatest Stories Hall of Fame, Welcome/Introduction Guide, History of Kuro5hin, and a story directory.In January 2002, OSDN ended the advertising affiliate agreement with Kuro5hin [ [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2001/10/31/15654/175 OSDN to End K5 Affiliate Agreement] ] .
In June 2002 Rusty Foster suggested that he might be forced to sell or shut down Kuro5hin due to lack of funds, and he solicited donations to support the site. [cite web
last = rusty
title = We're Broke: The Economics of a Web Community
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2002-06-17
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/6/17/23933/5831
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] In response, readers gave more than $37,000 in donations and other support in less than a week. [cite web
last = rusty
title = The fundraiser ends, and the next stage begins
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2002-06-21
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/6/21/10533/6651
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] Shortly thereafter Rust announced plans to create a non-profit organization known as the Collaborative Media Foundation (CMF) to manage K5. [cite web
last = rusty
title = Introducing the Collaborative Media Foundation
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2002-08-19
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/8/19/185958/536
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] Since then, some users have been critical of a perceived lack of active management and functional improvements to the site. As of 2008, the CMF is not legally incorporated, and the site runs on bandwidth provided by sponsor "voxel dot net", with ad revenues going directly into Foster's pocket.The style and content of what is in part a magazine site has ebbed and flowed over time, at first resembling more the typical
Slashdot geek fare. Following the Dot-Com Crash, the election ofGeorge W. Bush and theIraq War , the site saw an increase in politics articles. In early 2003 a fiction section was added. [cite web
last = rusty
title = Introducing K5 Fiction
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2003-01-27
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/1/28/15027/8698
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ]In the second half of 2003 a large portion of the diaristsSpecify|date=October 2007 abandoned Kuro5hin and started posting diaries on [http://www.hulver.com "Hulver's site"] (commonly referred to as "HuSi"). Around the same time complaints about trolls increased.
On March 25, 2004, Rusty Foster closed off new user accounts because of posting of a photoshopped pornographic image of his wife. He later announced he was going to implement new user sponsorship [cite web
last = rusty
title = User Sponsorship and Managed Growth
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-03-25
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/3/24/0502/96199
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] . Many users believed that it would be the beginning of the end of Kuro5hin [cite web
last = myrspace
title = this post awakened me..
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-05-05
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/comments/2004/5/1/151626/0942/100#100
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] [cite web
last = alby
title = The Last K5 User
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-05-03
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/5/1/151626/0942
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] and some believed the whole scheme wouldn't work at all. [cite web
last = Ta bu shi da yu
title = Why sponsored users won't work
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-05-18
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/5/18/85939/8987
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] On July 13, Rusty Foster reopened new user accounts and informed the community that he was abandoning the idea of user sponsorship. [cite web
last = rusty
title = New Users Re-opened
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-07-13
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/13/13147/8165
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ]On July 23, 2004, Rusty Foster announced that he was going to alter the way editors modify peoples' diaries to make it more visible to the K5 community. [cite web
last = rusty
title = Yeah
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-07-23
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/comments/2004/7/23/105639/426/18#18
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] This was done in response to the way that an unknown editor modified circletimessquare's diary. [cite web
last = circletimessquare
title = You go girl
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-07-22
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/22/4848/95567
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] There was confusion over whether the diary was a troll, and a subsequent diary by curien underscored this further. [cite web
last = curien
title = Censorship
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-07-23
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/23/105639/426
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] [cite web
last = nebbish
title = Poor curien
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2004-07-23
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/comments/2004/7/23/105639/426/3#3
accessdate = 2006-10-06 ] As of June 22, 2005, almost one year later, these changes to editor powers have still not been implemented.On July 04, 2005, a minor scandal erupted over the publication of a front page article titled [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/7/3/491/18474 "Fuck Natalee Holloway"] that was perceived to be ridiculing alleged rape and murder victim
Natalee Holloway , with new users signing up to denounce the author and Kuro5hin administrators. [cite web|url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/7/13/3413/43516|title=New users, prog rock|last=Cowculator|accessdate=2006-11-04|date=2005-07-13 |publisher=Kuro5hin]On June 14, 2006, a
cross-site scripting vulnerability was used to compromise cookies belonging to administrators. This access was then used to embed anIframe redirect toLast Measure into every page on the site. The site existed in this state for about 15 minutes before being taken down entirely. After approximately 2 hours of downtime, the site was restored to its normal state.fact|date=February 2008On September 10th, 2007, Rusty Foster announced a $5 fee for new members joining the site, with the intent of discouraging trolls. This came in the wake of several attacks on site at the end of August, when Foster was distracted with the birth of his new child [cite web
title = K5 Becomes "Gated Dysfunctional Community"
publisher = Kuro5hin
date =2007-09-10
url = http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2007/9/10/13920/3664] .ee also
*
Advogato
*Slashdot
*Metafilter
*Digg
*reddit
*Techdirt
*Adequacy.org References
External links
* [http://www.kuro5hin.org Kuro5hin.org]
* [http://www.kuro5hin.org/special/faq Kuro5hin.org FAQ]
* [http://ko4ting.maddash.org Ko4ting, a K5 Companion Wiki]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20031204002943/http://www.dotcomscoop.com/article.php?sid=163 Interview with Rusty Foster of Kuro5hin.org] , "Dotcom Scoop", January 28, 2002
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